by
John R. Fischer, Senior Reporter | September 19, 2022
From the September 2022 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
“All of these events have resulted in supplier allocations of 65% minimum, and liquid helium prices over $50 per liter,” said Mykleby. “We are also dealing with significant inflationary pressures which have been driving up the cost of delivery.”
Supply chain challenges and the great resignation of workers have also created a lack of available parts and personnel for timely maintenance and repairs. To adapt, SWMR adjusted its inventory levels and strategic stocking locations throughout the country, and opened an office in Chicago to oversee engineering, parts warehousing, and parts repair support for its customers.
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Hansel says that because of employee turnovers, some HVAC service companies may have to assign tasks like preventative maintenance for chillers and other components to people who are not familiar with the systems.
“This highlights the importance of building redundancy into the chiller and having a good backup cooling program,” he said.
Preventing issues before they occur
The most common reason that chillers break down is poor maintenance, with experts saying that inspections should be conducted at least twice a year, evaluating everything from water quality to glycol concentrations to freeze protection.
Filtrine, for instance, provides new customers with a start-up visit and then three preventative maintenance follow-ups each year. The service agent deployed will evaluate the chiller, clean the condenser, check the fluids and test to see if the pressures, flows, and temperatures are correct.
Additionally, Hansel recommends having backup cooling systems as forms of redundancy for the chiller. For instance, dual independent refrigerant circuits can prevent quenches, because if one circuit fails, the other can continue to operate and keep the coolant at the right temperature.
“The backup cooling can come from city water or building chill water and, depending on the temperature of the water used for backup cooling, you may be able to continue with the daily schedule of scanning and diagnosing patients,” said Hansel.
Proper maintenance also applies to coldheads and compressors. Experts say that the adsorber in a compressor should be replaced once a year to reduce the risk of contamination to the coldhead, and that environmental conditions of the magnet room should be monitored, along with helium levels and vessel pressures.
Additional components must also be replaced in cases where oil gets into the coldhead, including the compressor, flex line and oil separator. Another factor to account for is if there is a positive flow of helium within the coldhead unisock when replacing the coldhead, as air and moisture can cryopump into the unisock, leading to a loss in liquid helium and performance.
